DTCC Bolsters Business Continuity
DTCC has strengthened its business continuity planning (BCP) by offering more connectivity options for customers and by further enhancing the ability of its employees to work remotely if an emergency prevents them from reaching their offices.
“DTCC has a robust continuity plan, which we continually monitor to ensure we stay ahead of the ever-evolving threat curve,” said George Perretti, DTCC managing director, Corporate Business Continuity. “Our efforts include harnessing the latest technology to enhance the infrastructure’s resilience, while minimizing costs for our customers.”
More connectivity choices
This year, DTCC has extended its telecommunications options by offering new, cost-effective ways for customers to gain additional telecom redundancy for connecting to DTCC systems. These alternatives give firms more resilience and flexibility in case one or more of their existing connections goes down.“We want to give customers a variety of options for connecting to DTCC, but we are very sensitive to their cost concerns,” said Michael Obiedzinski, DTCC vice president, Information Services. “So we work with our telecom vendors to offer the most robust, cost-effective solutions out there.”
One option allows customers of BT Radianz to use that firm’s
managed infrastructure to create a dedicated connection to DTCC for clearing and settling financial transactions and for the exchange of other types of transaction-related information. (BT is a leading provider of communications solutions and services globally.) This option gives customers an additional alternative for establishing a direct link to DTCC’s SMART network, while providing a connection that is just as secure and effective as a direct SMART connection.
Obiedzinski said this new BT Radianz option may be less expensive than SMART for those customers that already use BT Radianz for the bulk of their existing telecommunications needs. Many of these users are based overseas, which supports DTCC’s commitment to meeting the needs of its international customers.
DTCC offers another new connectivity choice through AT&T’s ANIRA service. This Internet-based offering is ideal for a small group of workstations, which makes it a good choice for smaller firms.
“We implemented the ANIRA service for customers seeking a connection that is less expensive than a traditional dedicated network but more effective than a dial-up link,” said Obiedzinski. He added that ANIRA is ideal for firms that only need to access DTCC’s webbased services, such as the Participant Browser Service (PBS).
More robust remote capabilities
DTCC is also improving its ability to operate under adverse conditions by refining the remote access technology its employees use to access business-critical applications when they are unable to physically reach their offices.The company’s current remote capabilities underwent two live tests early this year, when major snowstorms hit the New York area, stranding many DTCC employees in their homes. The company maintained seamless operations throughout the surge in remote-access usage during the storms, ensuring the industry could function normally.
Now, DTCC is taking remote access to a new level via the implementation of Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) technology. Remote computers with VDI will deliver faster, more efficient performance than computers using the existing remote access system, because VDI taps into the power of the large centralized servers in DTCC’s data centers. DTCC is scheduled to begin rolling out this technology next year.@